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NMSU film students to premiere senior documentary project on campus

New Mexico State University students in the Creative Media Institute are planning a screening to premiere their senior project documentary, “Halftime Highlights,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, at the Health and Social Services Auditorium, Room 101A.

“Halftime Highlights” poster

“‘Halftime Highlights’ is a documentary about marching bands in southern New Mexico and El Paso, exploring elements of art versus competition, dedication and hard work,” said Katrina Marquez, film director and CMI student in the College of Arts and Sciences. “The documentary follows the NMSU Pride of New Mexico Marching Band, as well as high school marching bands in Las Cruces, Deming and El Paso.

The film is directed by Julian Monjaras, CMI major.

“Our goal as filmmakers was to capture the moments and the incredible journey that marching band have,” he said. “I personally was part of the Deming High School Marching Band; from there I went to NMSU and marched five years with the Pride of New Mexico Marching Band. I loved the energy of the performance and I grew a family of brothers and sisters in the process. I wanted to make a film that captured those emotions.”

The documentary, which explores the entirety of a marching season, was filmed beginning in July 2014. Filming continued with rehearsals at the start of the school year as the bands began to craft their halftime and competition shows and prepared to perform for the first home football games. Through the fall, bands performed and competed at exhibitions, festivals and competitions, giving the crew the opportunity to follow their progress and journey, supplemented with in-depth interviews.

The film features a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of the performers and features interviews with band directors, leaders and members of a marching band.

“‘Halftime Highlights’ focuses on the reward and journey of hard work and determination, as well as speaks to the power of music and the unity it provides,” Marquez said. “It captivates the emotion of marching band and provides an in-depth view of how a marching band functions throughout a season.”

The production team plans to submit a feature-length cut of the documentary to film festivals and to pursue other means of distribution.

There will be additional showings of the documentary at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, at the Rio Grande Theater, 6 p.m. Thursday, May 7, and Friday, May 8, at the Milton Hall THX Theater.